In my short career, I’ve learned that nothing is more important than hard work and dedication. Success in the sports industry is about being the first one in and the last one to leave and maintaining that mentality through your career. My realization of this came at a young age when I was playing competitive soccer. Growing up on the West Coast of Canada (Vancouver) there were little opportunities for women soccer players beyond youth level. When I was 16 years old and a junior in high school, I transferred to a new school in Scottsdale, Arizona, in order to pursue my dream of training with an elite U.S. soccer club and ultimately playing NCAA Division 1 soccer. Since I had to leave my family at such a young age and live with another family, I was forced to grow up and mature extremely fast. After two years of hard work, I was offered a full athletics and academic scholarship at New Jersey Institute of Technology. As a student athlete, it is extremely difficult to balance countless hours of practices, games, team meetings, and athletic events. Athletics together with classes, school work, and social life can become stressful. However, through hard work and strong time management skills I was able to succeed.
As my soccer career came to a close, I knew I wanted to gain professional growth in the industry while getting an MBA in Sport Management at Florida Atlantic University (FAU). The great aspect of FAU’s program is it requires you to have an internship or employment during the entire length of the program. This was the key element that separated the program at FAU from others schools. I held internship and employment with the Vancouver Whitecaps, the New York Red Bulls, the Miami Dolphins, and the Florida Panthers. I knew that if I wanted to succeed, I had to get my foot in the door in every way possible. At one point at FAU, I had three internships while managing a full course load. Certainly, it wasn’t easy. But overcoming challenges and obstacles is what makes the most successful individuals. I could tell countless stories of lugging tables, chairs, tents, and anything else I could get my hands on at all hours of the night during my internships. I wanted to show that I was willing to do any task no matter how tedious it may be.
I was proud to join IAVM in order to continue to network in the industry. The sporting industry is so small that it is important to have connection within. The internship program at the annual conference helped me network with successful individuals that I look up to. I hope to someday return the favor to aspire young individuals.
As I aspire to have a successful career in the industry, I will never forget the countless hours of hard work and dedication. In order to be successful, it’s about doing any task that comes your way no matter how unexciting it may be. It is about taking risk and bouncing back after you fail. The greatest triumph is not in never falling, but rising after you fall.
(Image: Orange Photography)
